


i thought you were japanese?

by youre my collar (byulbasolar)



Series: Pride 2020 [1]
Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Gen, LGBTQ Themes, Pride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:20:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24491914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/byulbasolar/pseuds/youre%20my%20collar
Summary: Day 1: Coming OutNoodle comes out.
Series: Pride 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1769701
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	i thought you were japanese?

Noodle rummaged through her closet, looking for her faux-leather jacket. Despite the sunshine, it was unusually chilly for 10 AM in mid-June. The girl bounced on her heels to the beat of whatever was on the radio, enjoying its upbeat tempo. “Ah,” she murmured, finding the jacket. She put it on and flipped her hair, freeing it from the clothing.  
“Noodle, you almost ready?” 2-D’s voice came from upstairs.  
“Almost!” she shouted back, not sure he could even hear her response. She stepped over the box blocking her way, climbing out of her closet. _Foreshadowing_ , she thought to herself, letting out an almost nervous sounding chuckle. She gave herself a final check herself in the mirror before putting on heart-shaped, pink-tinted shades.  
She’d barely taken her second step up the stairs when 2-D stuck his head through the doorframe. “Sorry for the rush,” he said. “Mudz was getting impatient.”  
Noodle smiled in response, climbing the stairs and quickly finding herself with 2-D on the ground floor.  
“About time,” came a different voice. “Russ is already in the car, and I’m pretty sure he’s about to leave us here.”  
Noodle turned to face Murdoc, who was leaning against the doorframe. The door was wide open and the drummer could be seen in the car’s driver’s seat, tapping his hand on the windowsill. Noodle shook her head, still smiling, and skipped out the door.  
2-D held the car door while Noodle climbed into the backseat. The singer climbed in after her and shut the door while Murdoc flung himself into the passenger seat. The second each door was closed, Russel put the car into drive and the group was off.  


~~~  


“I’ll have the hazelnut and banana pancakes,” Noodle ordered, smiling brightly at the waitress.  
The woman nodded and scribbled the order down on her notepad. “And you, sir?”  
“Umm…” Noodle had to suppress a laugh at 2-D’s blank stare. She turned her focus to Murdoc, who scrolled through his phone (probably on Twitter), then to Russel, who stared out the window of their booth.  
“Okay everyone, that’ll be out in maybe twenty minutes!” The waitress said in her very sing-song, customer service voice. Noodle smiled and nodded and the group handed the woman their menus.  
“She’s pretty,” 2-D murmured as soon as she was out of earshot. Noodle nodded, moving her eyes to the table. She leaned forward and took a sip of her strawberry soda.  
“For sure,” Murdoc replied. Noodle shifted her focus elsewhere, tuning out the boys. Her eyes met Russel’s briefly and she shook her head and sighed dramatically, causing him to chuckle. Boys, she thought to herself.  


~~~  


The mall was rather empty, which made sense for a Monday afternoon. Still, Noodle and 2-D tried to make themselves as small as possible, trying their bests not to get recognized. “Where do you think the other two are going?” 2-D asked. “My bet is Russel’s going to that one shoestore.”  
“Definitely. And I’ll be shocked if Murdoc doesn’t get lost again.” Noodle giggled. The mall wasn’t very big, but apparently it was big enough for a drunken moron to get lost in trying to find the food court. 2-D laughed in response and the two of them took a right, entering the mall’s tattoo parlor.  
Noodle caught the eye of a young man sitting behind a desk covered in scraps of paper. He smiled at the two and waved. Noodle held up a peace sign.  
“Hey Tony,” 2-D greeted. “What’s up?”  
“Business as usual,” The man responded. Noodle looked to her left, her interest piqued.  
“Slowly, then,” 2-D joked, and the two men laughed. Noodle approached the wall, examining the doodles and designs covering the surface. One design, in particular, caught her eye: a detailed drawing of the profile of a deer.  
She turned back to Tony. “You wanted to show me something, right?”  
“Oh, yeah! She’s in the back, come on. No one will notice if I disappear for a minute.”  
Noodle and 2-D followed Tony as he led them into a storage closet behind the desk. The man waved his arm wildly, turning on the motion-activated lights. He walked over to the wall, carefully grabbing an object from its rack. He turned around, revealing a rather large katana.  
The saya was a deep burgundy marbled with black, the colors swirling throughout the design. Noodle stepped forward. “May I?”  
“Hell yeah,” Tony responded and extended his arms toward Noodle. She took the katana with both hands, feeling its weight, and turned the weapon to face inward. She moved her left hand to the sageo and unwinded the cord. She wrapped her hand around the inner part of the tsuka and carefully began to unsheathe the blade, leaving it still mostly in the saya. The blade has clearly been cleaned and oiled recently and Noodle could almost perfectly see her reflection in the surface. “Wow, this is-”  
“Oh shit-”  
Noodle was interrupted by Tony rushing past her. She raised her eyebrows and looked to 2-D, who peeked his head out of the storage closet before turning back to Noodle. “Customers,” he explained.  
“Oh,” Noodle answered. She sheathed the blade and began to rewrap the sageo. “We should probably get going anyway; I told Russel I’d meet him at Waterstones.”  
2-D gave a hum in response. Noodle set the weapon back on its rack, making sure it was balanced properly. “You know,” her friend began. “I’m pretty sure Tony has a thing for you.”  
Noodle had to stifle a cough. “What are you talking about?!” She inquired, forcing a laugh into her question.  
“He’s been giving you those dumb goo-goo eyes since we came in, plus, he’s obviously trying to impress you with his little collection in here.”  
“That’s stupid.” Noodle turned to her bandmate.  
2-D laughed quietly. “Not even gonna give him a chance?”  
“Absolutely not. He’s not my type.”  
“What even is your type?”  
“Girls.”  


~~~  


Russel had always been the easiest person in the world to talk to. He, like Noodle, was on the quiet side. He was always able to understand her, even when she would struggle with her English or not know quite what to say. Russel had once compared their relationship to that of a close father and daughter, and Noodle couldn’t help but agree.  
“Remind me what we’re looking for?”  
“If It Bleeds; it’s the new Stephen King novella collection. My uncle’s been pressing me for a birthday gift since I can’t visit.”  
Noodle nodded silently. “Here’s the K’s,” she said and began to search for the Ki’s. She squatted down, noticing the name ‘King’ on the bottom shelf. “Russ, can I tell you something? I told 2-D about it earlier but I really want everyone to know.”  
“Of course, what is it?” Noodle could practically feel his eyes on her, but she kept her own fixed to the bookshelf.  
“You know how when people ask me who I like I always say everyone? Well, that’s not true.” She took a deep breath, continuing. “I don’t like guys. Like, at all. Or at least not as anything other than friends or family. But I do like girls that way. Basically, I’m gay.”  
Russel let out a soft huff as he knelt down beside Noodle. “That’s okay with me, Noodle.” She turned to him. “And it’s okay with everyone else who matters. If it bothers someone, then what are they doing in your life? It’s none of their business who you like.”  
“Thanks, Russ,” Noodle said, smiling and turning back to the bookshelf. “Oh, I found the book.”  


~~~  


“What brand is that?” Noodle asked, jumping onto a stool.  
“Ibanez. SR505, I believe,” Murdoc answered, not bothering to look up as he played the Some Kind Of Nature bassline.  
Noodle picked out a nearby guitar, a mahogany Strat. She stood up to grab the instrument before sitting back down. She started to play along, tapping her foot to keep the rhythm. “The acoustic section is so nicely kept; have you been in there?”  
“Nope.”  
“Murdoc, I killed Stu. I stuffed his body into one of the mall’s dumpsters. I’m a bit worried I didn’t hide it well enough, but I didn’t have much time on my hands.”  
“At least you tried.”  
Noodle sighed. She clearly wasn’t going to be getting his attention any time soon. Fine.  
“Murdoc, I’m a lesbian.”  
Finally, the bassist looked up from the instrument. His eyes met Noodle, and she stared back, waiting for a response.  
“I thought you were Japanese.”  
Noodle blinked, legitimately unsure how to respond. “Did… Did you just make a Vine reference?”  
Murdoc laughed, throwing his head back. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.” Noodle sighed, practically slapping her forehead in minor annoyance. “Really though Noodle, I pretty much already knew.”  
She looked back at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”  
“You literally agreed this morning that our waitress was hot. You’re wearing a fake leather jacket. You can’t sit normally. Also, my gaydar has been thoroughly developed throughout the years.”  
“That’s fair,” Noodle responded with a chuckle.  
Murdoc returned the chuckle. “Seriously, we love ya Noodle.”  
And she returned the sentiment. 

**Author's Note:**

> i love this sm


End file.
